"Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars." – Khalil Gibran

Jacob

My name is Jacob, and I’ve been suffering with ankylosing spondylitis since I’ve been 18. I was only diagnosed about five years ago and I’m now 39. I am about 40 to 50% fused from my butt all the way to my neck. I have had reoccurring uveitis and constant Costochondritis. The AS also causes Extreme chronic fatigue. The back pain at times is unbearable and I wake up stiff every morning and it takes a while to start my day. My sleep pattern is also affected as I don’t really sleep well due to the AS. On top of the AS I also suffer with diabetes, degenerative disc disease, panic disorder with Agoraphobia, and a couple other conditions. I’m a fighter though and will get through these.